One of the easiest things Lindsay Lohan can do to get sympathy for her screwed up life is to simply sit back and let her parents make asses out of themselves. I know that whenever I hear Dina and Michael sniping at one another publicly, or whenever they give one of their “look at me, it’s all about me, ME, ME, ME” interviews, I totally feel a twinge, a pang for Lindsay. I sigh to myself and think, “Jesus, she really couldn’t have been anything other than what she is with those sketchy parents.” And then I get over it. Yes, Lindsay had a screwed up childhood. Yes, her parents are a-holes. And yes, they’ve made their daughter into an insane, drug-addicted a-hole too. But Lindsay had opportunities to clean up her act, get away from her family and choose to live a healthier life. Instead, she chose to be enabled, coddled in a steady stream of denial and irresponsibility. Think of that when you’re reading Dina’s response to Michael’s neverending “Lindsay is an addict” interviews and his threats to force Lindsay into an intervention:

Dina Lohan has a message for her ex-husband Michael about some recent interviews, during which he’s claimed their daughter Lindsay is abusing prescription pills: Stop discussing Lindsay’s private life and focus on yourself.

Dina lashed back Saturday, telling PEOPLE: “Michael Lohan needs to focus on being a parent, paying child support, of which he is six months behind, and making up for all the years he was an absentee dad. And stop going on national television talking about his children publicly.”

On Saturday, Michael told the photo agency X17, “I’m going to see the judge this week…If I can’t get a conservatorship, then I’m going to take her to an undisclosed location and get her straight. But I know I’m gonna get charged [with] kidnapping.”

And during a taping Thursday of The Maury Povich Show, Michael looked into the camera and relayed the following message to Lindsay: “I’m gonna do anything and everything I have to save your life, whether mom likes it, the public likes it, or anyone.”

While Michael says he’s planning to meet with a judge and seek conservatorship, a source tells PEOPLE that Lindsay herself plans to turn to the courts and seek a restraining order against her father.

“Lindsay is actively getting a restraining order, her lawyer have already been contacted,” says the source. “She’s scared. This is really serious.”

[From People]

Did you just sigh to yourself and think “I might be Team Lindsay on this one”? Congratulations! I too thought the same thing. Truly, if there is a moral throw-down between Michael and Lindsay, Lindsay comes out ahead by a nose. Michael is an abuser, a fraud, a famewhore, and just a really disgusting person. Lindsay should get a restraining order against him – she should have done that a long time ago, quite honestly. Then get one against Dina too. And then Lindsay could check into rehab and get her life together. But she won’t do any of it, will she?

In one last piece of Lindsay Lohan news, Page Six has this interesting story from last week’s Victoria’s Secret perfume launch. Lindsay was in attendance (she probably got the invite from her dealer), and no surprise, she made an ass out of herself. According to a source, “Lohan mistook the cake baked in the shape of a giant perfume bottle for the real thing, and put her hand out to lean on it… She accidentally poked a hole right in the middle of it.” Oh, Blohan. We can’t take you anywhere.

Lindsay Lohan is shown shopping in NY on 10/14/09. Credit: David Krieger/bauergriffinonline.com

This week, Star’s cover features a totally cracked-out, jacked looking Lindsay Lohan with the headline “Lindsay Hits Rock Bottom”. It’s kind of a “dur” cover for anyone following Lindsay’s shenanigans over the past few months (or years, whatever). The girl has been all kinds of rough for a long time, but her three-week Paris trip has been an epic fail. Everything from the universal disgust to Lindsay’s cracked-out “creative consultant” Ungaro line, to her cracked-out ingenious jewelry heist, to her cracked-out out tweets to Sam Ronson, it’s been a total disaster.

Now Star is giving us a “behind the scenes” look at Lindsay’s self-destruction. The cover includes these sub-headlines: She passes out in Paris!; Deadly diet of vodka, cocaine, and piles of prescription pills; Friends: ‘You’re going to die!’. That pretty much sums up the cover story excerpt that Star put up – although they do quote an “insider” as saying “She an obituary waiting to happen.”

How bad can it get? Lindsay Lohan’s trip to Paris was a low point even for her!

The once-promising actress collapsed during a week-long party, as her vodka, cocaine and prescription pills habits caught up with her. Now as Star reports in its Oct. 26 issue — on newsstands now — her few remaining friends fear it is too late to saver her.

“She’s a wreck, a mess, a disaster,” one tells Star. “She an obituary waiting to happen.”

Despite three trips to rehab and two DUI arrests, all before her 23rd birthday, Linds cannot stop herself from drowning her sorrows. Even the night before her big runway debut with her Emanuel Ungaro clothing line she was up till dawn partying. And once the scathing reviews were in for her line, things got worse. “She was crushed,” says one insider who saw her at a bash thrown by photographer Mario Testino.

“Her eyes were red and puffy, and at one point she started shouting and tearing up.” Soon after, Lindsay collapsed on a couch and passed out. “Her friends had to get her out of there before things got any worse.”

Lindsay’s career is in shambles and her tumultuous relationship with girlfriend DJ Samantha Ronson finally seems to be over for good. Lindsay even went on a bizarre Twitter tirade against Sam and her family on Oct. 13, claiming that Sam won’t speak to her “because her family will cut her off if she contacts me. They control the one I love and I’m incapable of making any sort of difference.”

One of Lindsay’s friends adds, “She’s definitely hit rock bottom. The next level is six feet under.”

[From Star]

You know what? For the first time ever, I totally co-sign everything about a Star cover story. They got something right – Lindsay is a crackhead mess, and she’s killing herself. What nags at me, however, is the questions I have about whether I should feel any sympathy for Lindsay. My general take is “Hell no.” First of all, I don’t think Lindsay has hit her own rock bottom yet. She’s still barely functioning, and there are enough sycophants and enablers around her who have convinced her that she’s fully functioning. My greatest fear is that Lindsay’s rock bottom will be some major, violent, life-threatening crime.

Anyhoodle, guess whose still trying to get press from Lindsay’s sad state? Of course, it’s Michael Lohan. After telling the world that Lindsay is a prescription pill addict (as opposed to crack, coke or meth, I suppose) and that he was going to do some kind of half-assed intervention, Michael has now gone to Radar to tell all about Lindsay’s drug dealer. Michael says: “This guy follows Lindsay all over the place. All over…Lindsay pays for him to go everywhere. He has no job. No job. He does nothing. All he does is supply everyone in LA.” Okay… so what are you going to do about it? Oh right, you’re going to just go to Radar and talk about it. By the way, if Lindsay’s a prescription pill addict, wouldn’t that make her “dealer” a doctor? Or is that naïve of me?

Thanks to CoverAwards for the Star cover.

Fergie has never made it a secret that she was once a pretty hardcore drug user. I’ve seen and read interviews where she’s discussed her drug usage, and she’s always made it sound like her teenage years (and perhaps her twenties) were a blur of heroin, crystal meth, cocaine, ecstasy and whatever else she could get her hands on. Though I don’t care for Fergie in general, I always gave her respect for her honesty.

Anyway, Fergie gave an interview to Times of London where she discusses even more details about her past. Fergie claims she had a “lost year” where she got caught up in the Hispanic “Cholo” gang. Fergie says about the time: “Oh yeah. It was very alluring, very romantic. Well, I romanticized it. I thought it was artistic. I still think gangsters are cute.” Um… Fergie? You’re still romanticizing it. Us Weekly has more excerpts from the interview:

Fergie opens up about her harrowing struggle with drug addiction in a new interview with the Times of London.

“It started with ecstasy. I loved ecstasy. Loved it, loved it. It was great at first, then it just went….” the Black Eyed Peas frontwoman, 34, says.

When high, she suffered from spells of paranoia and she blacked out the windows in her apartment, convinced she was under FBI surveillance. She also had delusions and once had an eight-hour conversation with a laundry hamper. Another time, a drug dealer held a gun up to her head as she tried to buy marijuana in a bad neighborhood in L.A.

Of crystal meth, which became her drug of choice, she says, “It ruins you.”

Fergie — who will star alongside Penelope Cruz in musical Nine this fall — blames some of her past troubles on being a child star.

“What happens when you’re a child professional is that you have to be, well, professional. You’re taught not to have tantrums, to always people-please,” says Fergie, who appeared in Disney’s Kids Incorporated from 1984 to 1990.

She admits, “That’s part of how I got into [drugs] later.”

Fergie says her “publicists get really mad with [her] for talking about” her struggles.
“But I don’t care,” she adds. “For me, it’s something I went through. It’s an epidemic, and it’s important to talk about it because it’s a very, very hard thing to stop.”

Fergie admits she’s still judged for her past even though she hasn’t used drugs in 10 years.

“I’m trying to get a thicker skin. I like to be aware of people’s perceptions of me, but when you put it as a priority, as a means to judging your worth, that’s when it can be dangerous,” she says.

“There’s no rule book on how to do this,” she continues.

[From Us Weekly]

While I doubt Fergie does hard drugs anymore, I think she probably still smokes pot and I’m positive she still drinks. A lot. A few months ago the rumor was that Fergie’s drinking and partying was doing serious damage to her marriage with Josh Duhamel. Josh strikes me as a really nice (albeit vanilla) guy, which Fergie claims she wants in a man. In the Times of London interview, Fergie sums up what she learned about herself during that wild time: “I started becoming attracted to qualities that didn’t involve guns and drugs and gangs. I changed my behavior through therapy and started becoming attracted to things like integrity and loyalty. Who would be a good father? Who would be a good husband?” Aw. That’s kind of sweet. Hopefully she and Josh make each other happy.

Here’s Fergie in Hollywood on August 11th. Images thanks to WENN.com .

Michael Lohan has spent this week giving several interviews about Lindsay Lohan’s addictions. One of the many problems I (and others) had with Papa Lohan’s statements was that Michael seems to think that Lindsay is just a prescription pill addict. Not crack, not meth, not coke, not heroin. Just pills. Just yesterday he announced to Radar that he was planning a half-assed public intervention for Lindsay, but made sure to announce that if Dina “wasn’t on the same page” Lindsay’s “intervention” would fail. Now Dina has responded to Michael’s claims, and she’s giving him a run for his delusional money. By the way, Dina said all of the following as she was launching her line of budget footwear “Shoe-Han” yesterday. I would mock her sweater vest, but quite honestly, I think she looks ten years younger than Lindsay.

Dina Lohan has blasted her ex-husband, Michael, for claiming the family was planning an intervention to get their troubled daughter, Lindsay, to deal with her alleged addiction to prescription pills.

Furious Dina told Page Six yesterday: “I don’t go — like my ex — on national television and make things up. He’s estranged from Lindsay; he doesn’t know what’s going on in her life. Michael doesn’t talk to her.”

“I’ve had full custody of all my children for the last 10 years. He has been incarcerated for some of that time, so whatever is going on in Lindsay’s personal life is our business. And for him getting paid to say things about her when he’s five months behind in child support is wrong.”

She continued: “I can’t change Michael to make him do the right thing — that’s up to him and God. But it is hurtful for a child for her own father, whom she has no relationship with, to say things in public about her like that.”

When we asked if Lindsay does have addiction problems, Dina, who sounded tired and emotional, said, “I have no idea what he is talking about. I can’t comment on everything my ex says.”

Lindsay was also hurt by criticism of her debut Ungaro fashion line. Dina said, “The critics can say whatever they want, but Lindsay is a genius.”

She said that, despite her deal with the French fashion house, Lindsay would also be creatively involved in Dina’s shoe line, to debut in May. But the name won’t be “Shoe-Han.” Dina explained, “We are not going to announce the name so every Google and MySpace buys the domain name. Lindsay is signed to Ungaro, but she will definitely have input because she is so talented.”

Taking a final swipe at her daughter’s detractors, Dina pleaded, “Leave Lindsay alone. Let her be a real 23-year-old. Let her grow, and let her artistic abilities flourish. Stop judging the Britneys and the Lindsays. They are very creative girls, and that is a gift from a higher power of God.”

[From Page Six]

Oh. My. GOD. Alright, it’s one thing to be an abusive a-hole trying to get a quick press hit off your damaged daughter’s obvious cracked-out existence (re: Michael). It’s quite another to be so f-cking delusional that you look at Lindsay’s sorry state and think “genius” or “a gift from a higher power of God”. And since when did heart-shaped pasties become a “genius” fashion statement? Probably the same time someone said “Hey, let’s get Dina Lohan to design some shoe!” By the way, “Shoe-Han” R.I.P. I’ll miss that name.

This actually isn’t the first time Dina’s dropped the word “genius” when describing Lindsay. Over the summer Dina claimed, “She’s a genius. Such a good heart. Lindsay will direct one day. She loves directing.” Yeah, directing crack rock into the pipe.

Here’s Dina launching her “Shoe-han” line in NY on 10/8/09. Credit: WENN.com

After spending any amount of time looking at the horrible pictures of Lindsay Lohan on her big, jacked, cracked-out, sketchy Paris trip, most people have come out with several opinions about LL. First, the girl’s style is bullsh-t. Secondly, the girl is messing up her face big time. Something about lip injections, but her forehead and general puffiness might indicate something a lot more serious in the plastic surgery department. Third, the girl is on drugs. No one’s eyes are that glassy without some major help from some kind of pipe.

Michael Lohan disagrees with us. Sort of. Lindsay’s dad thinks that her problem is a prescription drug addiction. Michael has given an interview to Radar where he describes how he’s the one who will save Lindsay from the clutches of the… prescription drugs….? I’m still not buying it. That girl is on something heavier than Adder all (which sources have claimed in the past that Lindsay was/is addicted to). If you can stand Michael’s smarmy grossness, try getting through this interview:

Lindsay Lohan’s Spring 2010 collection for Ungaro debuted over the weekend in Paris to lukewarm reviews. But it was the actress’s shockingly frail appearance that garnered the most attention.

Wearing a white, asymmetrical mini-dress, Lohan looked out of it and gaunt as she walked the runway following Sunday’s show.

Now in an exclusive interview with RadarOnline.com, Lindsay’s dad, Michael Lohan, is speaking out about his daughter’s downward spiral; one he blames on prescription drugs.

“I’m going to get her off the prescription drugs that she’s on,” Lohan told us in a candid interview. “I hate it when people talk about illegal drug abuse… because it’s not just drinking and illegal drugs that kill you. Prescription drugs can destroy and kill a person and are sometimes harder to stop. Look at Heath Ledger and Michael Jackson.”

Lohan asked us not to reveal what specific medications he believes his daughter is abusing, but says they’ve taken over her life.

“You know why Lindsay’s not acting in feature films right now? Because she can’t,” he said. “Because the girl with all the talent is hidden and buried deep inside this fungus that’s grown because of the prescription drugs. She can’t be herself. When you hug her she’s like, vacant inside. When she kisses or holds me I get chills, and not in a good way-in a bad way.”

Lohan had a chance to spend some quality time with his oldest daughter following the break-in at her Hollywood Hills home. He says he was shocked by how much she’d changed.

“She’s a different person. I was out there for a week when she was living at the Sunset Marquis Hotel and I would sit there and cry. It was horrible. This was not the kid I raised,” Lohan told RadarOnline.com.

Lohan says he’s speaking out now because he’s worried about Lindsay’s health and fears she’s being taken advantage of by those he calls “enablers.”

“I don’t care what anyone says about Lindsay. The Lindsay Lohan I lived with when I was married was a focused, intelligent, gifted girl that needed no prescription medication, no assistance from a therapist. Whoever the people are that came into her life and convinced her otherwise should be thrown in jail, because they’re the same type of people who are responsible for the deaths of Heath Ledger, Michael Jackson and DJ AM,” Lohan said. “Everything was fine in our family until Dina and I got divorced. And that’s when all the kids’ lives started to unravel… including Lindsay’s.”

[From Radar]

I dry-heaved when he said, “When she kisses or holds me I get chills, and not in a good way-in a bad way.” And I don’t buy that Lindsay’s problems are rooted in her parent’s divorce, either. I think she was screwed up long before then, but I’m willing to give significant blame to both Dina and Michael. They’re unquestionably (in my mind) terrible parents who are still trying to profit from Lindsay at any cost, even as her career, beauty, and talent has evaporated. Michael’s just the parent who’s trying the angle of profiting from his daughter’s drug abuse. In any case, it doesn’t really matter. I’ve said it before, Lindsay isn’t going to get help for anything because in her mind, she’s functioning. And that may be the saddest thing of all.

Lindsay Lohan is shown on 10/3 and 10/4 in Paris (white clothing) Credit: Bauergriffinonline. She is also shown on 10/5 in Paris. (purple cape) Credit: INFPhoto.com

Despite it all, I kind of like George Michael. He’s crazy and gross, but he lets it all hang out. All of his mistakes, all of his drama, all of his self-destructive crap, it’s all out there for public consumption. If you’re going to be crazy and gross, that’s the way to do it. It’s no secret that George likes to hook up with strangers in public toilets – he’s been arrested twice for various “lewd acts” both in America and England. And I’m not even counting the drug charges, and all of the screwed up traffic stuff that’s happened to him, like “falling asleep” in his car, or that time he was found unconscious in his car.

Throughout all of the controversies of the past decade, George was still with his longtime partner Kenny Goss – they fell in love in 1996, and Kenny had stayed with him through thick and thin. Not any more. It was last year’s arres that apparently made Kenny wake up (before you go-go) and realize that he was enabling George’s bad behavior. George was arrested in a public bathroom in London for possession of crack, but let off with a caution. Kenny had enough after that:

George Michael and his long-term lover Kenny Goss have broken up – and pals fear the singer is on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

Long-suffering Kenny finally walked out on George after 13 years together. The final straw came when George, 46, was arrested in the toilets on Hampstead Heath and charged with possessing drugs last year.

Furious Kenny, 50, walked out at Christmas, but they kept their separation quiet as George begged him for another chance. But despite remaining business partners in their art gallery in Dallas, Kenny decided enough was enough and told him they were history.

Devastated George then turned into “a hermit” in his North London mansion and sacked his loyal manager Andy Stephens.

One pal said: “Kenny had given George many chances. But after the Hampstead Heath incident he said he couldn’t take any more. Everyone knew George wasn’t just in there to do drugs – the place is well known as a place to pick up men.”

“Despite George saying they had an open relationship, Kenny never agreed with George’s urges to go out cruising for other men, or with his excessive use of cannabis. He is embarrassed by what George had put him through.”

“They had been due to marry on their 10th anniversary back in 2006, but Kenny told him it was off unless he changed his ways. But it seems George just couldn’t.”

When Kenny walked out, George postponed all his work commitments, including the release of a DVD for his 25 Live Tour. He refused to leave his house and became addicted to computer games. Then he shocked manager Andy by duetting with Beyonce at the O2 Arena in June without warning.

His irrational behaviour has become a cause of concern for his pals. One said: “When Kenny left him, George wasn’t in the right frame of mind for anything. He seemed to become really depressed and no one could talk him out of it. He had promised to release a Live In London DVD of the tour but he couldn’t get it together to even look at clips of himself. Only now is he starting to get his head around it and is releasing it on December 7 – almost a year later.

“George would get up at 2pm, have a couple of spliffs, and play computer games until 7am, then do it all again the next day.

“His manager Andy couldn’t get through to him. And then he was absolutely furious when he found out he had driven himself to the O2 and got on stage with Beyonce. He tried to confront the star about it but George sacked him.”

“George also has all these ideas about going back on the road – but no one knows if his state of mind will take it. The split has hit him hard.”

[From the Mirror]

It does sound like George is self-destructing. Of course, I tend to think he’s been self-destructing for years now, and he’s only been keeping it relatively together because he had people around him who loved him and protected him. Now that Kenny’s gone and George has fired his longtime manager, perhaps this is George’s rock-bottom. Will he clean up his act and try to get Kenny back? Or will he fall further, and end up drugged out in yet another bathroom with yet another undercover cop?

UPDATE: Now George Michael’s rep is telling the Daily Mail that he and Kenny have not split. The rep says: “There is no truth in the matter at all. Kenny has been away in Dallas where he owns a gallery but is scheduled to return home this Friday. They are planning a lovely weekend together.” Strange. I guess they’re sticking with it after all.

The first part of Oprah Winfrey’s interview with Whitney Houston aired Monday, and it was epic. I watched the interview on the edge of my seat, no joke. You know what’s weird? I had almost forgotten a time when Whitney Houston wasn’t a joke. Remember when she was an icon? When that voice just came pouring out of her, and she seemed so heavenly? Well, that woman is back… sort of. There are some elements of that old, Classic Whitney, but there’s also a lot of New Whitney. New Whitney is older, wiser, more honest, funnier, and still pretty crazy.

Like most people, I was a little surprised at just how honest Whitney was for the interview. Some parts were leaked last week – including Whitney’s revelation that there were times where she didn’t get out of bed for months. When that part came, Whitney did admit it to Oprah. Oprah asked what Whitney did in bed, and Whitney listed: drugs, read the Bible, talked on the phone, and watched T.V. When she puts it like that, it sounds like a pretty sweet life. Did anyone else crack up when Whitney really started to describe her drug usage? It was like she came alive! She leaned forward and her face lit up as she said, “You put [it in] your marijuana, you lace it, you roll it up and you smoke it!” People Magazine and The Huffington Post have more from the interview:

Whitney Houston took drugs, including cocaine and marijuana, with ex-husband Bobby Brown, who was emotionally abusive during their marriage and at one point spit on her, the singer said during an interview that aired Monday on “The Oprah Winfrey Show.”

“I had so much money and so much access to what I wanted,” Houston told Winfrey. “I didn’t think about the singing part anymore. I was looking for my young womanhood.”

After a long absence from music, Houston is staging a career comeback with a new album “I Look to You” released last month and a two-part appearance on “The Oprah Winfrey Show.” Houston is one of the best-selling artists of all time, but her career stalled as she grappled with drug problems and a troubled marriage to Brown.

The couple married in 1992 and were divorced in 2007. During their marriage, Brown was arrested on drug and alcohol charges, and Houston twice entered drug rehabilitation programs. She has custody of their teenage daughter.

“I think somewhere inside, something happens to a man when a woman has that much control or has that much fame,” Whitney said. Asked if Brown was jealous of her, Houston, 46, told Winfrey, “he’s not going to like this, but yes.”

Houston told Winfrey that Brown wasn’t physically abusive but “he slapped me once but he got hit on the head three times by me.”

A phone message left Monday with Brown’s attorney in Atlanta seeking comment was not immediately returned.

Houston said she was attracted to Brown because he took control of their relationship and had “a sweet, gentle tenderness.”

“At home, he was very much the father, he was very much the man,” Houston said. “He was very much in control. I liked that. When he said something, I listened. I was very interested in having someone have that kind of control over me. It was refreshing.”

She described an episode after a birthday party for Brown that left her “horrified. He spit on me, in my face. He actually spit on me. And my daughter was coming down the stairs and she saw it. That was pretty intense. I didn’t grow up with that and I didn’t understand why that occurred – [why] he had such a hate for me because I loved him so much.” Houston also said Brown would smash and break things at their home.

The 46-year-old singer described her drug use, saying it became “heavy” after her 1992 movie “The Bodyguard.” She said she would take marijuana combined with rock cocaine.

“You put your marijuana, you lace it, you roll it up and you smoke it,” Houston explained to Winfrey.

During a 2002 ABC interview with Diane Sawyer, Houston admitted dabbling in drugs but denied using crack, then uttered the now-famous phrase: “Crack is wack.”

“He was my drug,” Houston told Winfrey of Brown. “I didn’t do anything without him. I wasn’t getting high by myself. It was me and him together. We were partners.”

Houston said she stuck with Brown because she took her marriage vows seriously.

“Holy matrimony was a very serious thing for me. I was going to keep my vow. I never cheated,” she says. “The only thing I did was the drugs. . . . He was too promiscuous, dragging dirt into my home. It disturbed me.”

Her drugs of choice were marijuana and rock cocaine. “I was trying to hide the pain,” she says.

Along the way, Houston says, she gave up on her career. “I had totally forgotten about that life,” she says. “I had so much money by that point. I wasn’t thinking about any of that.”

She said she told her daughter about her drug use and took her with her to an Atlanta drug rehab for mothers and children.

“I didn’t lie to her,” Houston said.

Her mother also tried to intervene, the singer said, and at one point came to Houston’s home with police.

The singer prayed for help, asking God to give her strength, she said.

“I was so weak to him,” Houston said. “I was so weak to the love.”

[From the Huffington Post and People]

Overall, I think the interview was a great way for Whitney to showcase her recovery and her comeback. But one thing did bother me – I wish Whitney had taken more responsibility for her actions. She seemed happy enough to answer Oprah’s questions about some of the horrible things Bobby did and their screwed up life together, but Whitney’s timeline for when she began to “get real” about her failing marriage is a little sketchy. She described going off the rails with her drug usage as everything after 1991-2 (after The Bodyguard). So that was 17 years where her life descended into the chaos of drug abuse, and the slow rotting of her marriage to an abusive alcoholic and addict. I realize some people struggle with their addictions for decades, but don’t call it “getting real” when you’re still sprinkling rock cocaine in your joint. The other side of that criticism is that I really did believe Whitney when she talked about how important and sacred her marriage was to her, and it made me understand why she didn’t (or couldn’t) get out. Sort of.

Meanwhile, Bobby Brown spoke to The Insider (story via People) about Whitney’s interview and their marriage: “ I think we corrupted each other… I don’t think she hurt me or I hurt her. I just think we had a 14 year marriage that had its ups and downs and not many people understood it… [I used] an awful lot [of cocaine] – a powerful drug… I think I was bored… I had just gotten married and things weren’t right. Unfortunately, I turned to alcohol and drugs.” Bobby also says the first time they met, at the Soul Train Awards, is “one of the things I try to forget.” Meanwhile, I’m just shocked Bobby’s not in jail. Why is he out in the world?

Here’s a segment on CNN’s Showbiz Tonight discussing the show:

Antonio Banderas is still trying to correct the record about his wife Melanie Griffith’s recent admission to rehab. When the story was initially reported two weeks ago, sources claimed that Antonio had given Melanie an ultimatum – something like “If you don’t get clean, I’m divorcing you.” Within a few days, Antonio denied that particular report, telling Extra “She’s doing fantastic and very little of what is being published is true…I am not going away. I am staying with my family and my wife who I love very much.” Now Antonio has gone on Ellen to talk more about Melanie’s years-long struggles with addiction, and how proud he is of her for facing her demons head-on. In Antonio’s words, “The whole entire family is supporting her, and I am supporting her, and at this particular time more than ever. I’m very proud of her.” Can Antonio get any better?

Melanie Griffith’s recent admission to a rehab clinic isn’t something husband Antonio Banderas is going to sweep under the rug.

“It’s not a rumor, but let me explain to you,” Banderas, 49, tells Ellen DeGeneres in an interview to air on Wednesday’s The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

“It was said actually in some magazine that I said that I gave an ultimatum to my wife. That I present the matter of divorce because she has been involved in addictions and blah, blah, blah,” says the actor. “Melanie has been addicted for many years and we always came out. We said it out loud. It was okay, we were never embarrassed of the situation but what happened she was clean and sober for six years.”

But six years of clean living was endangered after Griffith, 52, had a skiing accident in Aspen, Co., a year and a half ago. Three operations in her knee required her to use narcotics – and come face-to-face with her demons again.

“In March, she came to me and said, ‘I’m feeling a little bit weak in my determination for this … so I just thought to go to rehabilitation by myself,’ ” Banderas said. “So the whole entire family is supporting her, and I am supporting her, and at this particular time more than ever. I’m very proud of her.”

More than that, the entire family is actively participating in Griffith’s rehab program.

“We have been following some type of therapy with other families,” he said. “There are a number of invisible heroes working in AA all around the world. I just say to families, ‘Don’t get embarrassed, just confront this problem head-on. And don’t hide from that because there is a beautiful gift at the end of this tunnel, and it is the person that you love back, and that is what I am searching for.’ ”

He added, “I am very proud of my wife.”

[From People]

This is maybe one of the best examples I’ve ever seen of a family treating an addict with love and respect, and like a responsible, cognizant adult. I applaud Melanie for recognizing that she was in danger of sliding in her recovery, and I think the world of Antonio for being so supportive, in such a smart, effective way. This interview should be used for family-sessions of Narcotics Anonymous. Sigh. I love Antonio. I think I’m going to watch Desperado tonight.

Antonio Banderas, Melanie Griffith and their daughter, Stella, are shown watching an Easter parade in Malanga, Spain on 4/5/09. Credit: ENF/Fame Pictures. watches the Easter processions in Malaga, Spain, with wife Melanie Griffith and their daughter Stella del Carmen. CR: ENF/Fame Pictures

Kelly Osbourne just released her first book “Fierce” (how very Tyra Banks of her) about her family and her struggle with addiction. Kelly once told 20/20 that she took 100 pills a day, but in her book she says it was 50. I’m guessing that in her original statement, she meant that once she took a hundred pills a day, and in her book she means she took an average of 50. While there’s a huge difference between the two, both numbers are shocking and the point remains the same: the girl had a serious, serious problem. And Kelly’s admitted there’s a decent chance she’ll relapse, so I’m not sure if it’s appropriate to say it in the past tense.

Kelly, who’s been an addict since she was 16, gives some shocking details about her drug use, and it’s hard not to empathize with her.

But it was when she began clubbing at 16 that she developed a habit, after being offered pills of the drug [vicodin] by an acquaintance. ‘I was relaxed, tingly and happy. The next morning, I called the guy and bought two or three pills for about $20,’ she writes in her new book Fierce. Kelly’s addiction grew serious when her mother, former X Factor judge Sharon, was diagnosed with cancer in 2002. ‘I was trying to stay strong so I took Vicodin to hide the terrible sadness. But by this point, I was waking up and emptying six Vicodin into my hand. Soon I was taking 50 pills a day. Most people would overdose on ten.’

It was only when photographs of Kelly buying drugs were sent to the family home that her parents discovered her addiction. Sharon and Black Sabbath star Ozzy searched her room – discovering 500 pills scattered around. Kelly, now 24, was sent to rehab, for what would be the first of three stays. A year later Kelly was sent to a psychiatric ward, where she finally managed to control her addiction. But, despite saying the thought of relapsing makes her cry, she says there is a ‘strong chance’ it could happen again.

[From The Daily Mail]

Kelly also details some funny and profoundly sad stories about her family. You’d think you’d heard every crazy Osbourne tale there could possibly be… but you’d be wrong. There was an incident – which doesn’t seem to be told with much humor from Kelly’s point of view – in which Sharon decided she needed to wax the 14-year-old’s upper lip. It didn’t go well, and Sharon laughed so hard she peed herself.

In her autobiography… Kelly also reveals what it was like growing up with famous parents. With older sister Aimee and brother Jack she had a far from normal childhood – their babysitters were heavy metal band Mötley Crüe. Her father fell asleep during parents evenings and entertained her school friends by drunkenly chasing them in his underwear. He occasionally went too far – once terrifying her young friends by dressing as a werewolf and locking them in the garden shed.

Another time he spotted Kelly was wearing a thong, and in front of her friends cut it off and pulled it from her jeans. ‘I died of embarrassment and burst into tears,’ she wrote.

In another incident her mother decided to wax 14-year-old Kelly’s top lip. She found her daughter’s protestations amusing, and the wax stuck solid while she was laughing. ‘She did eventually pull it off but half of my skin went with it. To make it worse, she was laughing so hard she weed on me.’

[From The Daily Mail]

While I thought the waxing story was hilarious, it was only one of those “it’s funny because it didn’t happen to me” sort of things. If my mother had done that no way would I have forgiven her – even now. And peeing on the carpet is just about the only thing that could make it worse. But the thing with Ozzie and the thong is totally out of line and not funny at all. If it were any other person I’d wonder what he was thinking, but because it’s Ozzie there’s obviously no point.

Kelly got out of rehab most recently this past spring. From her comment about relapsing, I don’t necessarily get the feeling that it’ll be her last time, though I hope so. Addiction is a nasty disease, and my general impression is that it plagues you for most of your life, even if you can keep it under control. Hopefully with each visit to rehab, Kelly at least gets a better handle on it, and gets closer to total sobriety.

Here’s Kelly attending a party for “Dancing With the Stars” held at Coco De Ville in West Hollywood on August 25th. The man photographed with Kelly isn’t identified in any of the pictures, but he’s not her fiance Luke Worrall. Images thanks to Fame Pictures .

Melanie Griffith has a long, storied history of drug and alcohol abuse dating back to her days as Mrs. Don Johnson. Lately, the wife of Antonio Banderas seems to have a new drug of choice – plastic surgery. But Star magazine says the actress has been using again, and her husband has made it clear: rehab or divorce.

Melanie Griffith has checked into a rehab facility, her rep confirms to Star.

“She is there to reinforce her commitment to stay healthy. This is part of a routine plan that was designed between her and her doctors years ago,” Melanie’s publicist, Robin Baum, tells Star of the actress’ stay at Cirque Lodge in Utah.

But an insider tells Star that this stint in rehab is a bid to save her marriage. “She’s working with the counselors on getting control of her demons.”

The 52-year-old movie star has battled addictions to drugs and booze since she was a teenager and she’s had several previous stints in rehab. But her latest fall off the wagon is the last straw for her husband of 13 years, Antonio Banderas.

“The reason Melanie checked in was her husband was demanding that she get clean and sober,” another source tells Star. “He told her that if she didn’t get the help she needed it would be the end of their marriage.”

According to a third source, “Melanie’s struggling right now, but Antonio has been checking in on her as much as he is allowed, making sure she gets back on her feet. Without Antonio in her life, I honestly believe Melanie would be dead.”

[From Star]

I guess this shows that addiction can be a lifelong struggle, no matter who you are. It’s sad, because Melanie’s addiction problems have ruined her last two marriages, and probably taken a toll on her career. It’s sad for their family, too – they have one daughter, Stella, and Melanie has two other children. Unfortunately, this is probably an all-too-familiar situation for them. It seems that Antonio is going the “tough love” route with his wife. Hopefully, that will be motivation enough for Melanie to start taking better care of herself.

Melanie Griffith is shown out with her daughters on 6/9 and 6/11 and at an event on 6/11. Credit: WENN.com/FayesVision